Chapter 5

The Plane of Lightning and Shadow

One month after the Stormterror Crisis

The pair slowly progressed into the domain, weapons drawn and eyes flicking about for any sign of the Ronin abductors, Master Masakatsu, or any other creatures which could be hostile. Will's shortsword glinted with every purple beam of Electro, and Yoimiya's bow had two arrows nocked on the string, ready to fly at a moment's notice. Then, they came to the end of the first island.

Will peered off the edge, and his fears were confirmed. "Yep… it's a bottomless pit all right… in all directions too. Figures," he muttered, before gazing back towards the next island. "How can we get over that space? I doubt we could jump it."

To his confusion, Yoimiya just grinned. "I think I might have a way…" She took the arrows off her bow and replaced them both with a single one that had a long, thick cord spliced to the end of the shaft.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Will said, one eyebrow raised. Yoimiya nodded and fired the arrow at the nearby island. It flew straight, embedding itself in the rocky exterior up to the fletching, and the cord was just barely long enough. "Well, here goes nothing. Ready?"

Yoimiya tied the cord to her waist. The two then wrapped their arms around each other, and took a few steps back. "Three… two… one… go!" she exclaimed. They ran towards the island, leaping off of their current one as they reached the edge of it, and then they realized that there was something very different about the gravity there.

"Woah!" they screamed in unison as they soared through the low gravity space, only to fall back to the ground at a normal speed when they flew above the next island, the gravity returning to normal. They hit the ground within moments of each other, and Will's face took on a suddenly nauseous expression. "Oh, man… I might be sick, Yoimiya…" he groaned. It took him a moment, but he managed to get his stomach back in order.

"Think you need to head back for some fresh air?" Yoimiya joked, and Will elbowed her.

"And get myself cooked medium rare by a bolt of lightning? Yeah, no thanks." With that, the two continued onward, taking a few minutes to grow accustomed to the strange fluctuations in gravity all throughout the domain as they traversed the island they were on. After they became comfortable with the gravitational changes, they jumped to the next island.

"Hey, Yoimiya… don't you think we should've run into some Ronin or other creatures by now? This place seems too… empty…" Will wondered, his eyes looking around nervously. After a moment, Yoimiya nodded.

"Yeah… you're right. Even if we haven't run into any Ronin guards, I've never heard of a domain so barren of life. The only life we've seen in here was that… thing, back at the entrance," she said. And then, as if on cue, they heard a noise behind them. Something like a mix between a shriek, a laugh, and a call out.

"Great," Will muttered. "Now this place is playing tricks on our ears…"

But Yoimiya shook her head. "I don't think so… we need to move, and fast," she said, grabbing Will by the wrist and making a mad dash for the next island.

"Woah! Yoimiya? What's gotten into you?" Will exclaimed, but Yoimiya kept running, jumping off the island and landing on the next one before she finally stopped to catch her breath. "Hey! What's the matter? There was nothing there," Will asked again, but she simply stared back at the island.

"No… there was something, we just couldn't see it… That was an Abyss Mage's voice, Will," she said, and Will's eyes widened.

"Oh for the love of… The Abyss Order? What in Teyvat's name are they doing on this wasteland of an island?" he exclaimed, his knuckles tightening around his sword's hilt. He'd had multiple run-ins with the Abyss Order in the past, and although he'd never been seriously injured by them, for the most part, that had usually been because his mentor, a Fatui Harbinger, had been with him, he still knew better than to underestimate them.

"I don't know and frankly I don't care. What I do know is that I don't want anything to do with them," Yoimiya replied quickly, looking around to see if she could spot the Abyss Mage, but to no avail. After a moment, she let out a long breath. "Well, let's keep moving. The sooner we find Master Masakatsu, the sooner we can get out of here and back to Narukami… where things actually make sense."

Will slowly nodded, growing more and more concerned for his friend. He made a mental note to check up on her after this was all said and done because she clearly had some past trauma caused by the Abyss Order.

They slowly progressed through the domain, until they came to the top of what appeared to be the entrance to some ancient ruins buried deep in the mountain of one of the last clusters of islands. Will looked inside, but it was pitch black. "What do you think is inside? Maybe that's where the Ronin are holding up," he asked Yoimiya, who nocked an arrow on her bow.

Drawing it back to full strength, she grinned. "Let's find out," Yoimiya replied as the arrow tip ignited. She released the bowstring, and the arrow soared into the ruin, briefly illuminating its interior. The pair entered the ruins, using Yoimiya's arrows as light sources as they explored.

Moments after they entered the decrepit hall, however, there was a shout, followed by clangs of metal and various cheers. Confused, they walked towards the noise, only to then hear a pained cry. Without a second thought, they ran deeper into the ruins, and Will noticed that there was light coming from one of the rooms. The two ran towards the light, and when they entered the room it was coming from, they saw something that shocked them.

There were two Ronin and a Treasure hoarder all standing around a chained up Abyss mage, beating it with clubs, the pommels and flats of swords, and their fists, whooping every time the Abyssal creature doubled over in pain. Will snarled, and with a burst of Anemo power from his feet, he flew towards the commotion, his sword drawn in one hand and an icy orb floating above the other.

The blade sliced through the air and expertly parried an incoming stab from one of the Ronin. The samurai let out a shocked gasp, only to be cut off as Will disarmed him with a flick of his wrist and roundhouse kicked him in the neck, simultaneously freezing the Treasure hoarder that was behind him in a block of ice. The samurai staggered back, wheezing, only to be blown off his feet by the Snezhnayan deserter, who threw his sword in the air toward another Samurai. The Kikouban ronin blocked the blade but was caught off guard as Will's fist impacted against his stomach, sending him flying into the frozen Treasure hoarder with a blast of Anemo power. The ice shattered, and both of them fell to the ground. With that, Will looked around at the clearing.

"Anyone else?" he said in a no-nonsense tone of voice. The two ronin and the treasure hoarder groaned, before standing up and making a mad dash for the door, running past a stunned Yoimiya. She'd never seen her friend act out like this before, and over an Abyss mage? It just didn't make any sense.

Once the aggressors had left, Will turned around to stare down the wounded mage on the ground. He held his sword high, and as he thrust downward, the Abyssal creature pulled against the chains in a vain attempt to shield itself.

The locks shattered, and the chains fell off of the mage, who was still trying to shield himself from an attack that never came. He hesitantly looked up at his assumed murderer and realized that killing him was the last thing he was planning.

"Need a hand?" he asked simply, shocking the Abyss Mage. Will extended a hand to help the mage up, and after a moment of confusion, the mage took it.

"I… thank you… but why?"

Wil tilted his head slightly. "Why what?" he replied.

The mage floated up to eye level, forming an Electro elemental shield around himself. "Why would you help me? Are our races not sworn enemies?" he asked, to which Will merely shrugged.

"Well, I don't like bullies. Besides, I don't see why our kinds have to be at war with each other, so why should I continue on killing for something I don't understand?" he answered. The Abyss mage didn't know what to think. The last thing he'd expected was for a human to not only save him from the other humans but also be friendly with him. And he knew their kinds were at war with each other, so he clearly hadn't just been living under a rock.

The mage didn't know what to say, but then the human's friend walked up to them. "Will, what are you doing?" she said. "This is an Abyss Mage, let's just move on."

The boy shook his head though. "I don't know, Yoimiya. I can't explain it, but my gut is telling me we ran into him for a reason. And it's clear the Abyss and the Ronin aren't on great terms with each other," he said. "Who knows, maybe they know something about Master Masakatsu's location."

The archer considered this for a moment, before nodding. "I suppose it's possible. All right, let's give them a chance. But I still don't think this is a good idea…" They turned back around to face the Abyss Mage.

"Before we go on, I think introductions are in order. I'm Will, and this is Yoimiya. Do you have a name?" Will asked the mage, who nodded in return.

"I am called Vilhelm. I must thank you both again for your timely intervention. Had you not arrived when you did… I shudder to think of what those rogues would've done to me…" the mage replied.

Will shook his head. "No thanks are necessary. It was the right thing to do," he told Vilhelm, who tilted his head. "So, what are you doing here Vilhelm?"

The mage thought for a second. "I presume you mean what I was doing when those other humans captured me, correct?" Will nodded, a slight grin on his face at the joke. "Well, I was patrolling… erm, I'm not sure how much I can say beyond that though… What of the two of you?"

Yoimiya answered this time. "We're looking for a friend of ours who has been kidnapped by the Ronin, the same group who captured you. We followed them to Seirai island, and into this domain, but we lost them in here. Have you or any of your people heard of them bringing a human prisoner into this domain?" she asked, but Vilhelm shook his head.

"Regrettably, I have not," the mage replied. "As for whether or not anyone else in the order has heard of such an event… I could not say."

Hearing this, Will had an idea. "Vilhelm, forgive me if this comes across as… presumptuous… but is there any way you could arrange a meeting between one of your superiors and us?" he asked. "Someone who might have heard of such rumors like the one we are currently pursuing?"

Vilhelm looked at the ground as he pondered the question, but eventually, he looked back at Will. "Coincidentally, one of my superiors is currently at the stronghold we are defending. I believe I might be able to arrange such a meeting. However, due to the uneasy relationship between our kinds, it would make many of my people feel better if you were willing to meet inside the stronghold," Vilhelm replied, and Will and Yoimiya both narrowed their eyes.

"That sounds like an awfully big risk… and a trap if I ever heard one…" Yoimiya muttered under her breath, and Vilhelm shook his head.

"Rest assured, as you have saved me from certain death, it would be against our laws to allow harm to come to either of you until the debt is repaid. I will do all that I can to ensure your safety while in the Stronghold. Is this course of action agreeable?" Vilhelm proposed.

After a moment, Will responded, "Do you mind if I talk it over with my friend first?" When Vilhelm nodded, Will and Yoimiya walked a short distance away from the mage and talked with their heads huddled together.

"What do you think? Should we go ahead with this plan?" Will asked her. She thought about it for a second.

"I… don't know. I want to trust him… but still, we've both heard about the terrible things the Abyss has done in the past," she replied, and Will nodded.

"True, but maybe there's a causality behind those atrocities that humanity is unaware of. I've always been prone to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, you know that," Will suggested, before going on. "To be completely frank, even if they don't know anything about Master Masakatsu, I'd still be interested in learning more about the Abyss."

Yoimiya nodded. It made sense, she realized. The idea that the Abyss order just decided to attack humanity for absolutely no reason made about as much sense as trying to set off fireworks while underwater. It seemed much more likely that there was an ulterior motive, and the prospect of learning what it was did intrigue her.

"That is a good point…" she agreed. "All right, if you agree, let's go with the mage. But I would like to be able to remain armed." Will nodded, and they walked back around to where Vilhelm was waiting.

"We've talked about our opinions, and we've decided that we will take you up on your offer. But we would ask that you let us keep our weapons and visions while in your stronghold," Will told the mage, who, after a moment, nodded in agreement.

"Very well, please follow me."


A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone! I've been really tied up with getting ready for my school of music auditions, but now that those are done and I'm just waiting for the results, it's time for a plot twist! There's going to be a bunch of lore dumping next time, so get ready!

As for the twenty fifth knight, it's still going to be a while. I've sort of lost interest in SAO, mainly because I've gotten hooked on playing Genshin, but rest assured, it is still in the works. The forgotten heroes... well, that one's on hiatus for a bit until I can come up with an idea for where to go with the next few chapters... urgh, why can't the plot bunnies actually give me ideas when I WANT them to?!